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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
Glasvegas are a four-piece from Glasgow - the latest band to be championed by industry mogul Alan McGee, the man that "discovered" Oasis. Despite the inevitable hyperbole that has followed McGee’s proclamation of the band, Glasvegas more than deliver on their early promise with this eponymous debut album. The quartet already showcased their earthy wit and sonic ambitions on singles such as "Daddy’s Gone," a heartfelt tale of soured father-son relations delivered in an uncompromising Glaswegian accent and set to a shimmering wall of rock & roll. Glasvegas continues in more or less the same vein. Singer James Allen reels off stories of everyday city life over euphonious, pop-edged soundtracks that blend 50s surf rock, layered, Phil Spector-esque production values and the occasional splash of 60s doo wop. Tracks like the arching "Flowers and Football Tops", the confessional "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" and the upbeat "Legs & Show" contrast with darker songs like "Stabbed" and "Go Square Go!". The band's down-to-earth worldview combined with their nostalgic sound and surging, sing-a-long choruses makes for a rich and enjoyable musical tapestry.
Product Description
GLASVEGAS Glasvegas (2008 UK 10-track CD album - Glasvegas are a 4 piece from the tough East End of Glasgow who fuse a wall of sound noise that is equal parts Jesus and Mary Chain Elvis and Phil Spector combined with a pop sensibility inspiredby sixties girl pop and Doo Wop. This their highly anticipated self-titled debut album includes the singles Geraldine Daddys Gone and Flowers And Football Tops)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By D. Newton
Format:Audio CD
For once you can believe the hype - the Glasvegas debut album is stunning. James Allan delivers his songs in a very Scottish voice indeed which will not be to everyone's taste but it lends real authenticity to his lyrics of contemporary Glasgow life: stabbings; absent fathers; social workers; paranoia and broken childhood dreams.
The music is guitar driven with strong percussion but it stands apart by way of its shimmering guitar backdrop, almost a `wall of sound' shining like a dirty jewel. The songs soar and are almost anthemic but are never dull due to the power and meaning behind the lyrics.
The singles `Geraldine', `Flowers & Football Tops' and the poignant `Daddy's Gone' are truly superb and rightly celebrated, but for me `It's My Own Cheating Heart..' is stunning with its pounding guitar line and lyrics delivered from the heart. `Glasvegas' shows amazing confidence for a debut album; `Stabbed' features a dreamlike lyric about imminent wounding spoken over Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. The band are also not afraid to sing a snatch of `You are my Sunshine' at the end of `Flowers & Football Tops'; both of these tricks work superbly. The final track, `Ice Cream Van' begins almost ethereally but gradually builds to a crescendo of guitar noise and is a fitting finale. Even the foul-mouthed singalong of 'Go Square Go' makes sense when you listen to the lyrics.
`Glasvegas' is a great record and shows how effective music can be when it is delivered with passion, meaning and authenticity.
The music is guitar driven with strong percussion but it stands apart by way of its shimmering guitar backdrop, almost a `wall of sound' shining like a dirty jewel. The songs soar and are almost anthemic but are never dull due to the power and meaning behind the lyrics.
The singles `Geraldine', `Flowers & Football Tops' and the poignant `Daddy's Gone' are truly superb and rightly celebrated, but for me `It's My Own Cheating Heart..' is stunning with its pounding guitar line and lyrics delivered from the heart. `Glasvegas' shows amazing confidence for a debut album; `Stabbed' features a dreamlike lyric about imminent wounding spoken over Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. The band are also not afraid to sing a snatch of `You are my Sunshine' at the end of `Flowers & Football Tops'; both of these tricks work superbly. The final track, `Ice Cream Van' begins almost ethereally but gradually builds to a crescendo of guitar noise and is a fitting finale. Even the foul-mouthed singalong of 'Go Square Go' makes sense when you listen to the lyrics.
`Glasvegas' is a great record and shows how effective music can be when it is delivered with passion, meaning and authenticity.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By M. Currie
Format:Audio CD
I bought this after hearing a string of complimentary comments from friends & acquaintances, not to mention a number of glowing reviews in the music press. My immediate thought on a first listen was that it is a disappointing album. The more I listen to it, the more irritated I become by the weak vocals - perhaps it's soft, like Belle & Sebastian, but it just doesn't work in the context of these songs. There are clear borrowings in many of the songs from other notable bands to have come out of Glasgow - I can hear Aztec Camera, Love & Money, H2O, the aforementioned Belle & Sebastian and a whole raft of others in there, but sadly not much that comes over as particularly original.
That said, I don't want to be over-critical as there are a number of definite foot-tappers along the way - Go Square Go being a good example (for those who're unenlightened, 'square go' is a fight) - and it's certainly an inoffensive offering that might promise good things in future.
That said, I don't want to be over-critical as there are a number of definite foot-tappers along the way - Go Square Go being a good example (for those who're unenlightened, 'square go' is a fight) - and it's certainly an inoffensive offering that might promise good things in future.
25 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By Zod
Format:Audio CD
Hmmmm, I bought this album after waiting nigh on a year for it. It was the first time in years that i was actually EXCITED about buying a record!
First the bad news....If you loved the original DIY versions of the singles 'It's My Own Cheating Heart that Makes Me Cry' ( one of my favourite songs of the decade, the guitar refrain makes me melt, and recorded perfectly for me on original release)and 'Geraldine' you might be a little disappointed.
Radio friendly re-recorded versions of these songs placed virtually at the start of the album kicks it off badly for me. The usual major label inteference. On first listen I was devastated.
But....The good news, the original versions of the above songs wouldnt have fitted into this 10 track opus in their original guise anyway and this actually isn't a bad thing.
The recording of this album (buy it on vinyl if you can) is lush, vibrant and many tracks (well, the first 5 anyway) segue into a victorious cacophony of atmospherics and crunching guitars.
For me the real victory in this recording is the downbeat final 3 tracks (Stabbed, S.A.D. Light and Ice Cream) which on listening usually a)terrify me and b) nearly have me in tears. And that takes something. Whoever came up with the idea of using the lyrics to their originally recorded version of 'Stabbed' then underpinning it with Beethovens 'Moonlight' Sonata should be awarded a chufty badge in my opinion. It works really well.
After my initial disappointment, I absolutely LOVE this record now. It wasnt what i was expecting, growing up listening to J.A.M.C.... Read more ›
First the bad news....If you loved the original DIY versions of the singles 'It's My Own Cheating Heart that Makes Me Cry' ( one of my favourite songs of the decade, the guitar refrain makes me melt, and recorded perfectly for me on original release)and 'Geraldine' you might be a little disappointed.
Radio friendly re-recorded versions of these songs placed virtually at the start of the album kicks it off badly for me. The usual major label inteference. On first listen I was devastated.
But....The good news, the original versions of the above songs wouldnt have fitted into this 10 track opus in their original guise anyway and this actually isn't a bad thing.
The recording of this album (buy it on vinyl if you can) is lush, vibrant and many tracks (well, the first 5 anyway) segue into a victorious cacophony of atmospherics and crunching guitars.
For me the real victory in this recording is the downbeat final 3 tracks (Stabbed, S.A.D. Light and Ice Cream) which on listening usually a)terrify me and b) nearly have me in tears. And that takes something. Whoever came up with the idea of using the lyrics to their originally recorded version of 'Stabbed' then underpinning it with Beethovens 'Moonlight' Sonata should be awarded a chufty badge in my opinion. It works really well.
After my initial disappointment, I absolutely LOVE this record now. It wasnt what i was expecting, growing up listening to J.A.M.C.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'd heard good things about this band, and foolishly bought this on the hype. The Glaswegian wail throughout this album is immensely irritating to the ears, and serves to remind you only of the dire looking Glasgow that you see on the original Taggart series(which I love). I have been to Glasgow and have to say that I was mightily impressed with it. It was like a cleaner, more pleasant version of Manchester.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By L. saunders
Format:Audio CD
if jesus and mary chain had met motown at the the back of a cinema in a dead end scottish new town,and over their carry oot and fish supper concieved a child they would have called it glasvegas.brilliant writting and tight score make this a cd you should have
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A. Glen
Format:Audio CD
There was an awful lot of hype surrounding this album, and to an extent it's justified. There are some excllent tracks on here; Flowers and Football Tops pretty much sums up what Glasvegas are all about, with Jesus and Mary Chain noise meeting motown/Phil Spector sixties pop. This formula is use to create some really effective emotional exploitation, notably on "Go Square Go," with it's chant along, aspiring terrace album climax, and Daddy's Gone, a sickly but affecting ode to absentee fathers.
That said, the rest of the album is less effective, with only Geraldine really showing the humour and callousness that the best lyrical elements of the band's songwriting can rise to. For a full length album, there's an awful lot of feedback and reverb used as padding, and a shortfall in actual tunes.
Add to that the repetitive, monotonous drum beats used throughout the entire record, a side-effect of (allegedly) choosing a non-musician for a drummer based on her apperance, and you get a debut album that ends up being more style than substance. Worth having for the 5 or so stand out tracks, but overall not a great album.
That said, the rest of the album is less effective, with only Geraldine really showing the humour and callousness that the best lyrical elements of the band's songwriting can rise to. For a full length album, there's an awful lot of feedback and reverb used as padding, and a shortfall in actual tunes.
Add to that the repetitive, monotonous drum beats used throughout the entire record, a side-effect of (allegedly) choosing a non-musician for a drummer based on her apperance, and you get a debut album that ends up being more style than substance. Worth having for the 5 or so stand out tracks, but overall not a great album.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
great album from good scottish based group
definetely an album I should have bought long ago excellant quality and some have been played on radio at times
Published 3 months ago by malmac
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my fav's
Cant believe this album has received some negative comment, think alot of it is backlash from the hype on its release, people were expecting an epic and if it didn't quite hit the... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bertymax
5.0 out of 5 stars
Decent
I always like this band and regularly listened on music sites so it was a brilliant time to buy the album on Amazon. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Seedyefc
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just turn it up.
I bought this album on the strength of having seen them live at Rock City. They are a fantastic live band and the album brought back memories of that performance. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2011 by Mr. I. M. Jenkins
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shivers down the spine.
This is a true masterpiece of an album which I just can't stop playing. Album of the year? Album of the decade more like. Read more
Published on 15 April 2011 by V. Standing
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dire at best.
I bought this on the strength of the critical acclaim it received north of the border, shows what they know, this album is dire at best, steer clear!
Published on 23 Feb 2011 by OldCarliol.
4.0 out of 5 stars
glasvegas
great band excellant cd. the dvd is a bit amateurist but this is the nature of the band totally recommend. craig
Published on 24 Dec 2010 by Mr. C. J. Hitchen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant!
I heard Daddy's Gone on a compilation and it really cut me up. It reminded me of things from when I was young. The song hit me straight away. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2010 by Tom Palmer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Stuff
Heard a track on the radio and wondered if the album would live up to it - but yes, a good album - if not yet reaching greatness. Read more
Published on 2 May 2010 by Peter Johns
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hearts & Influences On Their Sleeves
Glasvegas are a band who have taken their influences and done something interesting and refreshing with them. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by Stappo
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